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object:1.01 - Who is Tara
class:chapter
book class:How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator
author class:Thubten Chodron

1 - Who is Tara?

Before you, sitting on a lotus, is a beautiful young woman with a body
of green radiating light. Who is she? What is Tara? Why do practition-

ers of Tibetan Buddhism meditate upon such a being? How can a spiritual
relationship with her enrich our lives?

What is a Buddha?
Tara is a Buddha. Anybody who has become a Buddha and there are many
Buddhashas an omniscient mind. The qualities of all these enlightened
ones are the same. Buddhas have eliminated all delements, both afictive
obscurations that keep us locked in cyclic existenceignorance, anger,
attachment, and the karma that causes cyclic existence and cognitive obscurations the subtle stains or predispositions of afictions on the mind and
the appearance of inherent existence that they cause. Any Buddha has totally
abandoned everything to be abandoned and completely developed all good
qualities, such as equanimity, love, compassion, joy, and the six far-reaching
attitudesgenerosity, ethical discipline, patience, joyous effort, concentration, and wisdom.
Tara, like Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, Vajrapani, and others, is a Buddha.
A Buddha is not a creator God. A Buddha does not manage the universe, controlling sentient beings destiny, rewarding some and punishing others.
Those of us who were not raised Buddhist can easily bring our previous reli-

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how to free your mind

gious conditioning into Buddhist practice and substitute Buddha for God.
Since this would create many difculties in our spiritual practice, lets be
careful to avoid it.
For example, one part of us may hold a child-like Sunday school conception of God as an old man in the sky, who sometimes is benevolent and at
other times jealous and wrathful. We must be careful not to impute those
qualities onto a Buddha. Tara is not a concrete, self-existent person with a
personality, and for this reason, we train our minds to see her as an emanation
of all the good qualities that we admire and want to cultivate. This gives us a
different feeling.
A Buddha has two main bodies: a dharmakaya or truth body, and a
rupakaya or form body. Here, body doesnt mean physical body but a collection of qualities. The omniscient mind the fully enlightened mind that
has eliminated all delements and realized all good qualitiesis the dharmakaya. The rupakaya or form body allows a Buddha to communicate with
beings who are not yet Buddhas. Because our minds are obscured, we cannot
directly know the Buddhas omniscient mind, and so the Buddhas appear in
various forms out of compassion in order to benet us. All of the different
forms in which a Buddha appears are called form bodies.
Form bodies are further divided into two types. The sambhogakaya, or
enjoyment body, is a body made of light that is found in the pure lands. The
enjoyment body is the form that a Buddha takes to teach high-level bodhisattvas. The nirmanakaya, or emanation body, is the form that a Buddha
takes when he appears in our impure world. For example, Shakyamuni Buddha appeared as a historical person nearly 2,600 years ago. He was a nirmanakaya Buddha, an emanation body manifesting as a monk giving
teachings in ancient India. A modern-day example of an emanation body is
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Many people believe that the Dalai Lama is a
fully enlightened being, even though its impossible for us to prove this at our
limited stage of spiritual development. Out of compassion, in order to benet
us, Buddhas manifest in our world and appear to us as ordinary beings in
forms that resemble ours. They may seem to have ups and downs in life just
as we do, but internally they do not experience confusion and turmoil
because they have eliminated all causes of suffering.

who is tara?

17

A bodhisattva is someone training to become a Buddha. This person is
red by bodhichitta, the aspiration to become fully enlightened in order to
benet all beings most effectively. The primary reason a bodhisattva works so
hard to purify and cultivate her mind is to benet all beings. After becoming
enlightened, bodhisattvas manifest in different forms in order to communicate with us. If they didnt, they wouldnt be able to fulll their purpose.
Someone doesnt work for three countless great eons to become enlightened
and then just relax and go to sleep! Instead, enlightened activities spontaneously and effortlessly ow from that pure state. These activities will naturally be benecial, because they stem from an altruistic motivation coupled
with deep wisdom.
Tara can be understood on many different levels. First, she is a historical
gure, a person who generated bodhichitta the altruistic intention to attain
full enlightenment in order to benet all living beings most effectivelyand
then actualized that intention by becoming a Buddha. Second, she is a manifestation of awakened qualities; and third, she is our Buddha-potential in its
future fully puried and evolved form. We may alternate between these
understandings, using them as needed to cultivate our good qualities.

Tara as a Person
Many eons ago in a different universe lived a princess named Yeshe Dawa.
Based on her own investigation and experience, she had great condence in
the Three Jewels the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. She understood the
unsatisfactory nature of cyclic existence and thus determined to be free from
all sufferings. Thinking that all living beings were like her in wanting happiness and not wanting suffering, Princess Yeshe Dawa developed genuine,
impartial love and compassion for each and every living being. She was not
enchanted by the luxuries of palace life; instead, she vowed to show the way
to liberation to millions of beings each day before eating breakfast, to millions more before eating lunch, and to even more before going to sleep at
night. Because of this, she was called Arya Tara (Tib: Pagma Drolma), meaning
the noble liberator. Arya indicates that she has directly realized the nature
of reality and Tara shows her liberating activity. When the religious author-

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how to free your mind

ities of that place suggested that she pray to be reborn as a man in future
lives, Tara refused, pointing out that many Buddhas had already manifested
in male bodies. She vowed to attain full enlightenment in a womans body
and continuously to return in female form in order to benet others.
Whether were men or women, this historical Tara is a role model for us.
Just like us, she was once an ordinary being with problems, stress, and disturbing emotions. But by training her mind in the Buddhas teachings, she
attained full enlightenment. Likewise, if we practice the Dharma with joyful
effort, we too can attain her state. Smiling at us, Tara says, If I can do it, so
can you! thus encouraging us along the path.
In another legend, Tara is said to have been born from Avalokiteshvaras
tear. As a bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara (Tib: Chenresig; Chin: Kuan Yin)
worked diligently to free all beings from the hell realms. Having done this,
he rested a while; but when he awoke, he found the hells completely repopulated with sentient beings born there by the power of their harmful actions.
For a moment he despaired and began to weep with sorrow for the plight of
these ignorant beings. From one of his tears, Tara emerged and encouraged
him on the bodhisattva path, saying, Do not despair. I will help you to liberate all beings.
In this story, we again see Tara as a person, one with a miraculous birth.
This legend can inspire us not to lose faith in the arduous process of beneting beings. Such patience and perseverance are necessary for as we know,
ignorant beings such as we are at present often do the opposite of what
brings happiness and peace. Taras optimism gives us strength in difcult situations through showing us that suffering can be overcome.

Tara as a Manifestation
of Enlightened Qualities
A second way to understand Tara is as a manifestation or embodiment of
enlightened qualities. Anyone who has attained Buddhahood can appear in
the form of any of the deities. There isnt just one Green Tara, or ThousandArmed Avalokiteshvara, or one Manjushri, or one Vajrapani. These are simply
appearances, emanations.

who is tara?

19

A Buddhas mind is beyond our present limited perceptual or conceptual
abilities. All enlightened beings practiced for eons to purify their minds and
enhance their capabilities in order to benet us. But they need a way to communicate with us to lead us on the path out of suffering to full enlightenment. Since we are embodied beings who relate to color, shape, and other
objects of the senses, the compassionate Buddhas appear in various forms in
order to communicate with us. Tara, like other meditation deities, is one of
those forms.
Each deity is a manifestation of the same enlightened qualitieslove,
compassion, joy, equanimity, generosity, ethical discipline, patience, enthusiasm, concentration, wisdom, and so forthalthough each manifestation
may emphasize a particular quality. For example, Tara symbolizes enlightened activity, while Avalokiteshvara embodies compassion. Among the
diverse forms of Tara, Green Tara, who will be described below, eliminates
obstacles and brings success. White Tara counteracts illness and bestows long
life. Each of the 21 Taras and 108 Taras has her own specialty, symbolized by
her color, implements, and physical posture.
Tara is an emanation of bliss and emptiness. Within the sphere of emptiness the absence of inherent existenceblissful wisdom realizing emptiness appears in the form of Tara. By appearing in this physical form of Tara,
the wisdom of bliss and emptiness of all Buddhas inspires us to cultivate constructive attitudes and actions. By understanding the symbolic meaning of
Taras physical characteristics, we gain condence in and are moved to follow
the path she teaches, generating her qualities within ourselves.
If we think about the qualities of a Buddha, how would those qualities
look if they appeared in color, shape, and form? Even though all Buddhas
have the same internal traits and qualities, they appear in different manifestations to emphasize certain characteristics. For example, an artist or a musician has an internal feeling or meaning he wants to express. In order to
communicate it, he draws a picture with color and shape or creates a symphony with sound to express whats going on inside. In a similar way, Buddhas express their realizations in different external forms.
When we look at Tara, what kind of feeling does Tara give us? Think of
Tara and think of George W. Bush. Do you get a different feeling when you

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how to free your mind

think about each of them? Visualizing George Bush gives us a certain kind of
energy. Visualizing Tara generates a very different kind of energy in us.
Her female form draws us into spiritual life. My teacher, Lama Thubten
Yeshe, who practiced Tara meditation daily, often referred to her as Mummy
Tara. Just as most of us worldly beings feel afnity for our mothers and rely
on their constant, compassionate help, we are naturally attracted to Taras
female appearance. We can relax in her presence and look at ourselves honestly, knowing that Tara will not judge, reject, or abandon us due to our
shortcomings. Like a mother, she sees her childs potentialin this case, our
spiritual potential or Buddha-nature and wants to nurture it. We feel that
we can easily entrust ourselves to the path she teaches. In this way her female
form functions to increase our condence in the Three Jewels and to feel
supported in our practice.
Her female form represents wisdom, the essential element needed to
remove the ignorance that misconstrues reality and is the root of all our suffering. Women tend to have quick, intuitive, and comprehensive understanding. Tara represents this quality and consequently can help us to develop
such wisdom. Thus she is called the mother of all the Buddhas, for the wisdom realizing reality that she embodies gives birth to full enlightenment,
the state of freedom from self-grasping ignorance and its attendant, self-centeredness.
Green Taras color symbolizes activity and success. Although she possesses the same qualities as other manifestations of the omniscient ones, she
specically embodies the enlightening inuence by which the Buddhas act to
benet and guide us. In addition, she represents the puried aspect of the
element of air, which activates growth in the world. Just as the air element
generates the growth of green plants, which consequently brings the uplifted
spirit of springtime after the dreariness of winter, Taras enlightening inuence makes our good qualities bloom and leads us to the freshness of liberation after the oppression of cyclic existence.
Lush green plants that grow easily are a farmers delight. Similarly, her
green color represents successin worldly affairs as well as in spiritual developmentgiving us a sense of delight, hope, and optimism. Aspirations made
in the presence of Green Tara may easily grow into results, and requests made

who is tara?

21

to her may be quickly actualized. One reason for this is that by visualizing and
praying to Tara, we are energized to create causes for happiness and to eliminate interferences in our Dharma practice.
Taras body is made of light. Transparent, it appears and yet is intangible,
like a rainbow, mirage, or illusion. In this way, her body represents the compatibility of the two truths: conventional and ultimate. On the conventional
level, Tara appears and exists. Yet when we search for her ultimate mode of
existence, we cannot nd anything that exists inherently, independent from
causes and conditions, parts, and terms and concepts. Tara conventionally
appears, like an illusion, but ultimately cannot be found and is empty of an
inherent essence.
Taras body language expresses her inner realizations and outer activities. She doesnt sit with her head down or with her arms crossed in front of
her chest as we do when we are closed or moody. Rather, her dancing posture is relaxed, open, and friendly. Her outstretched right foot indicates her
readiness to step into the realms of suffering, confused beings in order to
help us. Due to her altruistic intention, Tara can appear in these realms without being adversely affected by the environment. She doesnt shy away from
suffering but faces it fearlessly and compassionately, thereby counteracting
it. Her left leg is tucked in, demonstrating that she has full control over her
subtle inner energies. No matter whether others praise or blame her, harm or
help her, her energy does not become unbalanced and she does not lose her
equanimity.
Taras right hand in the gesture of granting sublime realizations shows
that by following the path we can attain these realizations ourselves. This
gesture is also called the gesture of generosity, symbolizing her willingness
to give material possessions, love, protection, and the Dharma to all beings
according to their needs and their dispositions. Her left hand is in the gesture of the Three Jewels, with the thumb and ring nger touching and the
other three ngers stretched upward. These three ngers represent the Three
Jewels. They indicate that by entrusting ourselves to these three objects of
refuge and practicing their teachings, we can actualize the unity of compassionate bliss and wisdom, which is symbolized by the joining of her ring
nger and thumb.

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how to free your mind

Taras right hand and foot are both extended outward, emphasizing her
compassionate activity the method aspect of the path to enlightenment.
Her left hand and foot, which are closer to her, indicate her imperturbable
inner peace, gained through practicing the wisdom aspect of the path.
In each hand, Tara holds the stems of utpala, or blue lotus, owers. On her
left side, one utpala is a bud, one is blossoming, and one is fully open. The bud
represents the Buddhas of the future, the fully opened lotus symbolizes the
Buddhas of the past, and the blossoming lotus is the Buddhas of the present.
On Taras crown is Amitabha Buddha, peaceful and smiling. As Taras spiritual mentor, he represents the importance of having a fully qualied, wise,
and compassionate guide on the path. By keeping her mentor on her crown,
Tara is ever mindful of the teachings she has received from him. This reminds
us to do the same.
While we ordinary beings decorate ourselves with external ornaments to
look beautiful, Taras inner beautyher tranquility, compassion, and wisdomare her real adornments. Her dazzling jeweled necklaces, armlets,
anklets, earrings, and tiara indicate that the six far-reaching attitudes or
paramitasgenerosity, ethics, patience, joyous effort, concentration, and wisdomare fully integrated in her being and decorate her every activity.
Tara is also adorned with three syllables: om at her crown chakra, ah at her
throat chakra, and hum at her heart chakra. These three syllables embody
respectively, a Buddhas physical, verbal, and mental faculties. They also represent respectively the Sangha, Dharma, and Buddha Jewels of refuge. These
syllables serve as subtle objects upon which a meditator may focus; they also
remind us of the qualities we are developing within ourselves as a result of
practicing the Buddhas teaching. In this way, each characteristic of Taras
form illustrates the path to Buddhahood and its resultant qualities.

Tara as the Resultant Buddha
A third way to view Tara is as the reection of our present Buddha-potential
in its future fully developed state. How do we attain Buddhahood? In brief,
we follow a path in which we generate: rst, the determination to be free
from cyclic existence; second, the altruistic intention (bodhichitta); and third,

who is tara?

23

the correct view, the wisdom realizing emptiness. These three will be
explained in future chapters, and the wisdom realizing emptiness, which is
Taras and our own ultimate nature, will be elaborated upon in chapters 9
and 10.
Our extremely subtle mind and body have the potential to transform into
the fully enlightened body and mind of a Buddha. When we visualize Tara and
regard her as the resultant Tara that we will become, we are inspired to train
our mind in the path leading to this result. Lets examine how the practice of
Tara does this.




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